Natural killer (NK) cells have key roles in anti-viral and anti-tumour immune responses. Recent research demonstrates that cellular metabolism is an important determinant for the function of pro-inflammatory immune cells, including activated NK cells. The mammalian target of rapamcyin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) has been identified as a key metabolic regulator that promotes glycolytic metabolism in multiple immune cell subsets. Glycolysis is integrally linked to pro-inflammatory immune responses such that activated NK cells and effector T-cell subsets are reliant on sufficient glucose availability for maximal effector function. This article will discuss the regulation of cellular metabolism in NK cells as compared with that of T lymphocytes and discuss the implications for NK cell responses to viral infection and cancer.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
August 2015
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Review Article|
August 03 2015
Metabolic regulation of natural killer cells
David K. Finlay
David K. Finlay
1
*School of Biochemistry and Immunology, and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
1emailfinlayd@tcd.ie
Search for other works by this author on:
Biochem Soc Trans (2015) 43 (4): 758–762.
Article history
Received:
May 12 2015
Citation
David K. Finlay; Metabolic regulation of natural killer cells. Biochem Soc Trans 1 August 2015; 43 (4): 758–762. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20150116
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.